Nichiren (d. 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). He is important in that he is the founder of Nichiren Buddhism and is considered to be a Bodhisattva in his own right. What is remarkable about him is that he argued that women are able to attain Buddhahood, something which many Buddhists believed to be impossible as they needed to be reincarnated as men first before even trying!
Nevertheless, he still had some interesting maxims on women:
1) "A woman is like water, which takes on the shape of its container...If [her husband] is good, she will become a Buddha". (Sajiki nyobo gohenji; STN 2: 997)
2) "Women follow others and thereby cause others to follow them". (Kyodai sho; STN 1:932)
Citations
STN --> Showa teihon Nichiren Shonin ibun vols 1 and 2, ed. Rissho Daigaku Nichiren Kyogaku Kenkyujo, Minobu: Minobu-san Kuon-ji, 1998. (cited from Mori Ichiu's Nichiren's View on Women)
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